Can we have an Asian and ethnic minorities board please?

[KenAdams]

I thought we were included on the Black board but I've been told in no uncertain terms its not for us so could we have an Asian and ethnic minority board please? Global majority is also fine. No one is excluded, everyone can post on it but it will be easier to note those posts that have a particular cultural element to them.

I agree with you OP - I think that if there is a separate Black board there should be one for each ethnicity who feels the need of one. I absolutely support you.

White people, listen please. BAME people aren't segregating themselves within MN, but they're creating an extra space to discuss specific issues. Like with Telly Addicts, gardening, home decor, feminism, children with SEN topics etc etc

Exactly, it's not hard to understand, its just like Scotsnet for example.
(I say this as someone who's white)

Settle The usual way these things go, is MN sets up a board for an area, and then if there is sufficient demand and traffic they subdivide it later.

So with the new board, if over time the users of that board ask to separate, then it will.

I personally doubt there would be enough traffic for e.g. a 'Japanese heritage' board as the UK doesn't have a large enough Japanese heritage community.

I popped up to mention scotsnet, then wondered about walesnet and NInet.

There should be spaces for AME, as Op suggests.

Is there an expat board? (Different, I know).

OP I'm really sorry that someone on the black board excluded you. It would have been sensible for that to be a BAME area, subdivided or with different threads as needed.

@Quaagars

White people, listen please. BAME people aren't segregating themselves within MN, but they're creating an extra space to discuss specific issues. Like with Telly Addicts, gardening, home decor, feminism, children with SEN topics etc etc

Exactly, it's not hard to understand, its just like Scotsnet for example.
(I say this as someone who's white)

Indeed, and the reasonable among us readily grasp that.

The usual way these things go, is MN sets up a board for an area, and then if there is sufficient demand and traffic they subdivide it later.

But if other minorities aren't allowed there from the start, it will be difficult to make a base to separate into other sections later.

I personally doubt there would be enough traffic for e.g. a 'Japanese heritage' board as the UK doesn't have a large enough Japanese heritage community

MN isn't just UK though?!
There's posters from all over the world on here.
What would stop people who are Japanese posting in a new board if they were in other countries not the UK?
There could quite easily be the traffic

I'm only too happy to see B and AME boards, not before time, but saying that certain people can't post on them is a bit, well....racist, isn't it? If someone posts on one of the boards, it's going to show up in active conversations, isn't it? If it's a topic which interests you, are we really saying you can only post if you are of the correct ethnicity? What about white people whose partners are BAME? Sorry, but that sounds divisive to me.

I would love a South Asian or Sub Indian Continent board.

How is it any different to Scotsnet or Craicnet. It would be great for people to discuss cultural issues.

Everyone would be welcome to contribute unlike what happened with the OP who was told she couldn't as she want black, that's just down right racist and rude.

Because white people are a larger percentage.

And because when you ask for help with, say, areas to holiday in where your BAME child will not get started at you get told "my neighbour's cousin's wife went to Norfolk and was fine" and "I've never heard any negative names in my tiny village" and "You are setting your child up to be subject to racism by suggesting she is different".

@KenAdams I think the OP who requested the board for Black Mumsnetters was also emailing them at MNHQ - I don’t know if they would necessarily be looking at all threads even if they are in site stuff.
Good luck and I hope you get your board. I see some posts on this thread have already been deleted - I have to say it’s been a real eye-opener to see the knee-jerk reaction of some posters at the prospect of a black or other minority ethnic board

Anyone can post
If you have experience
Just why would I, as a white person rock up into the threads about afro hair types and care and give my non existent advice as I know absolutely nothing about it?
Or come in questioning the boards existence with a "why are you here?" type thing?
It'd be ruuuuude.
Of course people can post who are white and have BAME partners/family if they're wanting advice etc, people have repeatedly said so!

@HunkyPunk

I'm only too happy to see B and AME boards, not before time, but saying that certain people can't post on them is a bit, well....racist, isn't it? If someone posts on one of the boards, it's going to show up in active conversations, isn't it? If it's a topic which interests you, are we really saying you can only post if you are of the correct ethnicity? What about white people whose partners are BAME? Sorry, but that sounds divisive to me.

I guess that would depend on whether you have anything to add to the conversation. For some things, you can sympathise but, for other things, you don't have the same lived experience. It depends on the conversation.

Quaagars Yes people post from all over the world, but I would suggest that most of those are ex-pats from the UK or have cultural links to the UK. You do get the occasional American posting, but I haven't noticed over the years many people with no UK links.

MN could produce loads of boards if it wanted to, but there needs to be a level of demand. It could if it wanted to make a board for Oxbridge mathematicians, but it wouldn't get used (much).

So if I were running MN, which lucky for both you and myself I'm not, I would set up an 'Indian Subcontinent' board and a 'Other minority ethnic' board and then see what went on from there.

Ok, the boards then subdividing after makes WAY more sense. So instead of knee jerking MNHQ should have set up a BAME board which then naturally subdivides itself.

And I really REALLY want to know who told you you couldn’t post, because that is actually racist and dividing!!

@picklemewalnuts there is an expats board, Scotsnet, Craicnet.

My DD is from an ethnicity that is so minority it doesn't appear on the census so I was full of hopes for tips on parenting/holidays/things to talk to school about from the new board but it is (as is their right) for Black posters only.
I'd be very disappointed to have another board my efforts to parent DD well are excluded from!

I’m white and sad too that we all seem to be being separated . I fully appreciate that someone from the BAME community may well have concerns about issues I know nothing about.

As a human race though we face the biggest challenges we’ve ever faced - for the good of all our children - we need to talk and act together . Different perspectives are often useful.

Nothing wrong with a separate board - but please don’t hide there

I think the black board is a great idea and equally a ME (which can be broken into sub boards) is too. There are boards for the Scots and Irish, so divisions are already there but as long as they cater for predominantly white people they are fine.

Anyone is free to read, and contribute to the Black Mumsnetters board if they have a need to/expertise/positivity to share.

Disingenuous racist trolls are not welcome however, and will be introduced to the banhammer.

It will be the same for the AME boards when they are created.

Ah but Quaaagers if you apply that rule then anyone not currently dating Post divorce, should not be commenting on posts by those of us who are.

Non parents shouldn’t be allowed on the boards at all, and we’ve always been fiercely protective of their right to be here.

Those conceiving but not parents yet shouldn’t venture out of their area as they don’t have the “live experience”.

Or is BAME the only protected lived experience?

It’s annoying having a smug married rock up on a post and tell you they would NEVER online date if their DH left, but I defend their right to be that twatty

You do get the occasional American posting, but I haven't noticed over the years many people with no UK links

The thing is though, when we're posting out on the main boards, we're all generic, no-one ever really mentions ethnicity, countries etc as you don't need to
Whereas if somebody wanted to set up a new board and ask for one, you might get people popping up to say "yes please"
How would you know unless it got asked for

Just to make sure it’s covered on this thread as well as all of the others (🙄), no other demographic has been excluded from the Black Mumsnetters board. It is simply a place to discuss things that concern black people. We have specifically covered white parents with mixed children/black partners (who could use the site themselves also?), mixed race people (of which I am one), and anybody with a question that legitimately concerns things to do with black culture, heritage or community. It exists as a space where we don’t have to explain ourselves in order to ask or answer a question. If an AME board would provide the same experience then you should absolutely have one.

As I’ve mentioned before, I wholly support a board for any other demographic that wants one. Especially now I know how comforting it can be. I can’t personally see how an entire AME section would make anybody feel amongst friends, but that’s not my call to make, I may well be very wrong and I’m glad to listen and learn. Just please stop positing that we have excluded other races when we haven’t. It’s becoming very tedious and boring and anybody with five minutes to spare can disprove it anyway.

Are these good suggestions?

BAME
AME
ASIAN
South East Asian
Far East Asian
Asian sub-continent
Near East Asian

(?)

@picklemewalnuts

I popped up to mention scotsnet, then wondered about walesnet and NInet.

There should be spaces for AME, as Op suggests.

Is there an expat board? (Different, I know).

OP I'm really sorry that someone on the black board excluded you. It would have been sensible for that to be a BAME area, subdivided or with different threads as needed.

There is already on here: Craicnet and living overseas subs - wonder how many people toddle over there to ask them why those subs exist and be insulting comparing it to x eye colour.

If you don't need an asian/ethnic minority/or anything else that isn't your business sub it's existence will not negatively affect your life so why complain?